Northern Star
by Ceiphied Knight
Summary: If history has taught us anything, it is that royalty and politicians don't always get happy endings. Intrigue in Seyruun leads to two princesses making very difficult decisions.
1. Standing Here with You

NORTHERN STAR

_This is my first try at what I guess could be considered an actual song fic. Even though it's a short little thing, I was truly inspired by this song which used to be one of my favorites like ten years ago. If someone told me this song was written about Amelia, I would totally believe them._

_This is a bit dark, and quite wordy. It involves intrigue in Seyruun, and a little romance thrown in for good measure. Takes place a year after the events of Revolution/Evolution-R_

_P.S. I wrote this while I really should have been doing something else._

_

* * *

  
_

_They tried to catch a falling star.  
Thinking that she had gone too far.  
She did but kept it hidden well.  
Until she cracked and then she fell._

"You wanted to see me?"

Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun approached the cloaked woman in the back of a rather seedy looking bar. The woman held down a small table for two, covered by shadows since the dim lamps of the bar did not reach that far. The woman's smile could be seen under her dark hood, and a bit of long plum colored hair stuck out, though she tried to push it away.

Amelia absently fingered her own hair, which was the exact same shade of dark purple. She couldn't quite figure out how they shared so many traits, yet she got the short end of the stick in the height department. Literally.

The crown princess of Seyruun sat down and frowned slightly.

"This isn't like you, covering yourself up and sneaking around."

The true crown princess of Seyruun gazed up from under her hood, dark blue eyes flashing, and considered her younger sister with interest.

"That's true, but these aren't normal circumstances," she said as seriously as she ever really said anything. Which is to say, not very.

Amelia's expression grew even darker. "Look, Gracia, I appreciate that you reached out to me, and I love you dearly, but after all these years what kind of circumstances could really be so serious that you start skulking around in the dark and sending me secret letters via daddy? You know he's not a post man, right? I have a lot of responsibilities around the palace now; thank you for that, by the way; and I can't go running off at the drop of a hat! Even your hat!"

Amelia's voice had risen during her diatribe, but she lowered it after seeing Gracia's disapproving stare.

"Amelia, dear, if you would calm down for a moment and let me EXPLAIN the circumstances, we might be better off."

Amelia said nothing. Her sister continued.

"By the way, you have a lot of nerve coming to a place like this without a disguise. I hear princesses are always in demand for ransoming and whatnot."

"I don't need a disguise," Amelia said, somewhat haughtily. "I can take care of myself."

"Besides," she went on, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "I didn't come alone."

Gracia gave her sister a smug grin. "Oh? I assume that grumpy blue fellow came with you?"

Amelia's eyes widened. "H-How do you know about him?!"

Gracia's grin turned into a knowing smile. "I have my ways."

"Oh," Amelia deadpanned, "Daddy told you."

"Well...yes..." Gracia admitted.

"Anyway, back to the point," Gracia said, "I need to tell you what's been going on, and we can get back to your love life later and how I disapprove of you letting a man you're not married to live in the palace, but that's neither here nor there!"

Amelia sighed and sank down in her chair.

_If all the history is true.  
She's gonna end up just like you.  
You made it to the other side.  
But tell me who will be my guide?_

"I've heard of a plot," Gracia went on, lowing her voice to barely above a whisper. "A plot to assassinate the crown princess of Seyruun."

Amelia gasped and exclaimed, "Who is it this time? Which kingdom? Just tell me and I'll go deliver justice, personally!"

Gracia shook her head, sending more wayward hair flying out from under her hood. "I'm not sure who the employer is. I found out through some very unsavory connections that nevertheless have turned out to be very helpful. All I know is, you have to leave. Get out now, before you end up like mother."

Amelia gasped at her sister's revelation. "Gracia...I can't just leave the kingdom! I'm next in line to rule after daddy, and surely they know better than to attack me. Everyone knows I've adventured with Lina Inverse and that I'm a powerful sorceress, and I have Zelgadis..."

"It doesn't matter," her older sister interrupted her. "You're not safe there. They knew I was a sorceress, too, and still came after me. Mother was powerful, but it did her little good. They want to destroy the Seyruun line. It's not just about somehow gaining power over the kingdom. They want to stop any and all heirs. We are the last remaining females to carry the Seyruun name. You know that, right? Of course you do. Sure, we have some second cousins twice removed and all that, but we are the last direct descendants. What did you think was going to happen? That the people who targeted me would just give up?"

Amelia gaped at her sister, speechless.

Becoming frustrated, Gracia pushed back her bothersome hood. Her long hair was finally freed, and her bangs fell down to frame her thin face. She was a mirror image of Amelia, if only Amelia's face were slightly less round and if she ever bothered to grow her hair out.

The sisters stared at each other, both stubborn and headstrong.

"Look," Gracia continued, trying to drive the point home. "Imagine what would happen if you married that striking chimera fellow who is right now staring at us from that window," she turned and waved at a nearby window, and Amelia saw Zelgadis frown from his post outside. Amelia gave him a guilty smile and a shrug.

Gracia turned back to her little sister and went on, "You are a threat as it is, but even more so because that guy hangs around you. Your heirs could possibly be so powerful that no one would ever be able to take them out. It's a huge threat to those who wish harm upon our family."

"All the more reason to stand up to them!" Amelia explained, pounding both fists down on the table. "I can't believe there are people out there so concerned with power that they are trying to predict who I might marry and what our heirs would be like! To what end?!"

"That's the problem with you!" Gracia snapped at her. "You can't believe there are people out there like that, but that doesn't stop it from being true! There are people so obsessed with power, so obsessed with causing grief and chaos, that all they do is sit around and think about this stuff!"

Amelia lowered her eyes to the table. Her sister was right. She tried to see all the good in the world, and sometimes neglected to see the bad. Or perhaps she just chose to ignore it. There had already been so many bad things happen...

_They build you up so they can tear you down.  
Trust the ocean, you'll never drown.  
Who is next? Who's gonna steal your crown?  
You'll see._

"So," Amelia said, quietly, not looking up. "You suggest that I run away...like you did? Leave daddy and my kingdom and possibly my friends? For how long?"

"Forever," Gracia said. "And you can't come with me, because if we were ever found they could take us both out at once."

Amelia bit her lower lip and fought back tears. What her sister was asking her to do was impossible.

"Come on, Amelia, you know daddy will rule for a long time and then we have some cousins who can swoop in and take over for him. You know how this works."

Amelia finally dared look up, and saw someone coming toward their table with a determined gait and a sweeping cloak. She sighed.

"Amelia," Zelgadis said, looking at Gracia, disapprovingly. "Is this woman bothering you? Do you want to go home?"

Amelia shook her head. "Pull up a chair, Zelgadis-san," she said. Then she looked to her sister. "Gracia, anything more you need to say to me, you can say in front of Zelgadis-san."

Zelgadis looked confused, but did pull up a chair and sat down. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked back and forth between the two women before finally gasping.

"You two look like you could be..."

"Sisters," they both finished for him.

Zelgadis gaped at them.

"Zelgadis-san," Amelia said with a slight smile, "This is my older sister and true crown princess of Seyruun, Gracia Ul Naga Seyruun."

Zelgadis continued to gape at the two women.

"Oh, close your mouth, you look like a fish," Gracia finally said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Unless of course you're overcome by my beauty OHOHOHOHOHOHO!" She brought a hand up to her mouth and let loose with a laugh that finally broke Zelgadis from his stupor.

"Uh, no, but...um...nice to meet you," he said with little enthusiasm.

"Oh, too bad," Gracia teased, "You like your Seyruun girls on the shorter and plumper side..."

"I am not PLUMP!" Amelia screeched a bit too loudly, her face coloring to the shade of a ripe tomato.

Gracia laughed again and Zelgadis twitched.

"Anyway, look, Gracia," Zelgadis finally managed, "Whatever you're saying to Amelia is obviously upsetting her, so maybe we should be getting back to the palace..."

He made a move to stand up, but Gracia grabbed him by the arm and forced him back down. Her strength surprised the chimera.

"Not just yet, Rocky," she practically snarled at him. "I'm at risk coming here as it is, so since this involves you to a degree, you're going to sit your ass right here until I'm done."

Zelgadis looked to Amelia as if to say 'is this woman for real?' to which Amelia just gave him a little smile and a nod.

"Now, as I was saying," Gracia continued. "Amelia, I need you to get out of here while the getting is good. Pack a few things and as much money as you can carry. You can contact daddy later to let him know you're all right. But I already let him know a bit of what's going on, and I know he agrees with me. He loves you more than the entire kingdom. You know that."

"Whoa, Amelia, what is she talking about?" Zelgadis interrupted.

Amelia repeated the story back to him, leaving out the part about their possible heirs. At the end, Zelgadis didn't look as surprised as Amelia thought he would.

In fact, the chimera placed his thumb and index finger to his chin and sat thinking about something for a while.

"Er...Zelgadis-san...what's wrong?" Amelia finally asked.

"Well, I think your sister has a point," Zelgadis finally said. "Your life is more important than all this political bullshit. We should get you out of here. Tonight."

"Wait, you're AGREEING with her?!" Amelia's temper flared up, which Zelgadis wasn't expecting. "After all we've been through, after all the wrongs we've righted and evil we've faced and come out triumphant, you think I should just RUN AWAY?!"

Zelgadis was taken aback for a moment but then said, "Well, yeah. Because, you know, we had Lina with us during all those other times. This is very different. It's not some Mazoku plot or the resurrection of a Dark Lord and all that. It's something that hits a lot closer to home, and involves a direct threat to your life. I can't just ignore that, Amelia."

As he said the last sentence, the chimera's eyes softened and he gave Amelia The Look that always made her pulse quicken.

"Zegadis-san..."

"I hope you don't think you can go with her," Gracia interrupted as the princess and the chimera looked at each other.

"Of course I'll go with her! Don't be stupid!" Zelgadis snapped. "I'm her bodyguard, after all."

Gracia sighed. "You're the one being stupid. You're not very inconspicuous, you know. You kind of stand out in a crowd. They'll find her."

Zelgadis flushed slightly, both from embarrassment at his condition being pointed out so blatantly (he had grown used to hanging around in the palace where he knew everyone and generally felt like a normal person), and also from shame because he knew Gracia was right.

"That's...true." He finally conceded.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia protested, grabbing his hands between her own without thinking.

The chimera looked up at her, his eyes sad. "Your sister is right. I've done some not-so-good things in the past which could come back to bite me in the ass someday, plus I do stand out in a crowd. I could only protect you for so long. But my very presence would continue putting you in danger."

"I AM NOT HEARING THIS!" Amelia practically screamed, causing the few drunken patrons of the bar to turn and stare at her. But seeing two sorceresses and a mercenary having an argument caused them to quickly turn back around.

She dropped Zelgadis' hands and stood up. "I've had enough of this. To think that my own sister and my...bodyguard...would conspire to make me run away from a threat with my tail between my legs! Neither of you know anything about me!"

With that, she ran out of the bar, knocking over chairs as she went.

"Wow, she's pretty furious," Zelgadis remarked.

Gracia sighed, "She gets all that righteous anger from our father."

_I have learned my lesson well.  
The truth is out there, I can tell.  
Don't look back and don't give in to their lies, and goodbyes.  
Northern Star._

Back at the palace, Amelia wept tears of fury into her pillow. How DARE they?! She gave one of the pillows on her huge bed a good pounding to let out some frustration, and was about to let loose on another when there was a knock at her door.

"Come in," she said, absently.

Zelgadis entered the room, looking a bit stricken and nervous.

"Hey," he said.

Amelia blinked back her tears. "Hey."

The two of them stood staring at each other for a few minutes before Zelgadis cleared his throat and moved to sit on the edge of her bed.

"I've thought more about what we talked about back there," he said. "And I was wrong. I could never just let you go into hiding all by yourself. So, why I do still agree that you need to go, I'd be honored if you would let me go with you."

His back was to the princess as he spoke, and he chided himself for being too much of a coward to face her. But then he felt pressure and warmth against his back, and a mumbling into his shoulder.

"Of course you can come, Zelgadis-san," Amelia said, squeezing him into an even tighter hug. The chimera smiled to himself and placed his hands on top of Amelia's, which were wrapped around his torso.

After another moment of silence between the two, Zelgadis finally broke the hug and stood.

"Start packing," he said, "And I'll go collect a few provisions to take on the road."

As Zelgadis walked down the long halls of the palace, heading toward the kitchen, he actually felt...happy. He would be lying if he said he wasn't somewhat excited about the idea of running away with Amelia, just the two of them. The feelings he'd harbored for her for years had never been able to come to fruition because of the boundaries he had placed on himself, but now...just maybe...they would have a chance. With Amelia not bogged down by the rules of politics and state...

"Zelgadis-dono," came a deep voice from behind him, and he turned to see the Acting King of Seyruun, Amelia's father, standing in the shadows of a lovely tapestry in the hallway.

"Phil-san," the chimera muttered, surprised.

"Come with me," Prince Phil said as he breezed past Zelgadis and into his private study.

Zelgadis followed the Prince, curiously. Once inside the study, Phil closed and locked the door behind them.

"I know what you're planning," Phil said, bluntly. "I have a few things for you."

He reached into his desk and withdrew a large sum of money, and the seal of Seyruun. Handing everything to Zelgadis, the big man blinked back tears.

"I am trusting you with my most precious possession. More precious than anything else in this entire kingdom. You know that. I trust that you will honor her, and me, by keeping her safe."

"Of course, Your Highness," Zelgadis mumbled, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the monarch's serious gaze. Things had gotten awfully serious inside the white magic capitol, and quickly, so it still felt a little odd to see the normally cheerful Prince looking like he had just lost everything.

Which, in fact, he kind of had.

Zelgadis pocketed the money and the seal. Phil instructed him to only use the seal in the most dire emergencies, and then escorted him out.

With a sigh, suddenly feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, Zelgadis continued to the kitchen to stock up on non-perishables for the trip to...wherever he and Amelia would end up.

_  
Fulfil the longing in your heart.  
Then we will never be apart.  
And if they dare to question you.  
Just tell them that our love is true._

They were on the road by the time twilight had faded into dusk. Amelia had found the old outfit she'd worn in the kingdom of Femile so many years before, and had thrown that on for traveling. She absently plucked at the tight green tunic, which seemed to fit even tighter than it did when she was younger.

Once they were outside Seyruun proper, Amelia relaxed a bit. She could still see the tension in Zelgadis' shoulders as he walked in front of her, and wondered if he would ever be able to relax.

"Zelgadis-san," she muttered, strolling up to walk right next to him. "I'm so sorry about all this. I'm keeping you from your cure. I'm...monopolizing your time." She hung her head, feeling truly guilty for taking him away from his search.

"Stop it," he ordered, though there was no irritation in his voice. "You know I've been taking my search more slowly since I've been staying in Seyruun. Besides, once we find a place to settle in, I can pick it up again."

Amelia allowed herself a small smile and dared to take one of Zelgadis' hands in her own. He stiffened for a moment at the intimate action, then relaxed and squeezed her hand.

Joined together, they headed North.

* * *

As the sun began to rise, Amelia let out a huge yawn.

"Looks like it's time to stop for the day," Zelgadis announced. He took Amelia's hand in his, an action that they had both been allowing themselves off and on for the entire trip, and headed for the nearest inn.

"It'll be easier if we rest during the day and continue traveling at night," he explained to her unasked question.

It was so early that no one in the tiny town they had come to was up yet, but Zelgadis still pulled his hood and face scarf into place to hide his features. Amelia would never voice her opinion, but the truth was she absolutely hated when he did that. It irritated her because she loved the way Zelgadis looked and didn't see a thing wrong with it. But it was his life, and she had no right to chastise him for something that made him feel more comfortable. She had just grown so accustomed to him wandering the palace with no coverings...she sighed as they entered the inn.

Walking up to the innkeeper, Zelgadis requested one room. The inn was pretty booked, so they were given a tiny corner room with a shared bath.

"Get some sleep," he said to Amelia, who could not stop yawning.

"What about you?" she asked, eyeing the one small bed.

"I need less rest than you do, and I can sleep right over here in this corner." To illustrate his point, he removed his sword and sheath and plopped down on the floor in the corner.

Stretching, Amelia nodded. She was too tired to argue with him.

_They buy your dreams so they can sell your soul.  
Is it any wonder we've lost control?  
Feelings come, feelings go._

It was not long before word had spread that the crown princess of Seyruun had run away from her duties. It was a carbon copy of what had happened ten years prior, and people from all over the continent were clucking their tongues and gossiping about what a shame it was.

Amelia heard the gossip, but tried to let it roll off her back. After all, she was doing this so that someday she would be able to return to her kingdom and rule without the fear of assassins.

Right?

Weeks passed. Then months.

Amelia and Zelgadis found themselves caught in the middle of a particularly strong rain storm in late Fall, and Amelia thought she would shiver right out of her skin while Zelgadis rigged his cloak as a makeshift tent over some tree branches.

"Gods, Amelia, you're freezing," Zelgadis said as he pulled the small girl toward him. "And soaked," he said with some amusement.

"I h-hate you s-s-sometimes," Amelia managed to get out between her chattering teeth. Zelgadis gave a small chuckle and began rubbing her arms to try and increase her blood flow.

As she began to dry off and warm up a bit, Amelia looked up at her friend with every intention of thanking him. Instead, as they stared at each other, their faces only inches apart, Amelia was suddenly overcome with the desire to do something else.

She closed the relatively small distance between them and pressed her lips to his. Zelgadis froze for a moment, taken by surprise. Then he began kissing her back.

That night, they slept in each other's arms as the rain clattered loudly above their heads. Amelia was pressed up firmly against Zelgadis' chest the entire night, finally regaining a warmth she'd been lacking since having to leave her home and family behind. She had always felt so safe with Zelgadis, but with that kiss she felt that a wave of emotion had crashed over her, answering the questions she'd always harbored about his feelings. He literally kept her safe from the storm, and she knew he would always be there if she fell. She had never questioned his loyalty or friendship (well, not since that incident in Xoana, anyway), but she did question whether or not he would ever consider her as more than a friend.

As he wrapped his arms tightly around her, resting his chin gently on top of her head as they slept, she knew this was it.

And as she drifted off again with the rising of the sun, a fleeting thought occurred to her.

_The assassins were right..._

_I have learned my lesson well.  
The truth is out there, I can tell.  
Don't look back and don't succumb to their lies, and goodbyes.  
Live your life without regret.  
Don't be someone who they forget.  
When you're lost reach out for me.  
And you'll see, she's not far.  
Northern Star._

Months turned into years.

"I'm going back," Amelia announced one hot summer night.

"No, you're not." Zelgadis said with certainty.

But Amelia would not be deterred. "This is ridiculous. I've been gone long enough. We haven't seen Lina-san or Gourry-san in at least three years, and I haven't been able to talk to my father outside of letters for just as long. Can't we just go back for a visit?"

Zelgadis frowned and put down the book he had been reading.

"Your sister never went back," he reminded her.

"I'm not my sister."

With a sigh, Zelgadis stood and walked over to the small woman he had been sharing his life with for nearly five years. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

Funny, he could barely remember a time when they had not been lovers. It seemed his fate had always been to end up with the feisty princess of Seyruun. After all, there was some reason he was drawn back to her again and again.

And who was he to question fate?

"Fine," he finally conceded. "A short visit. And we sneak you in, no big formal announcements that you're in the palace, all right?"

"Fine with me!" She said with a smile and hugged the chimera hard around his neck.

"Thank you," she whispered softly in his ear.

Zelgadis smiled as Amelia bounced happily into their room to pack. He hoped he wouldn't regret this.

They rented a carriage to carry them to Seyruun. Zelgadis thought that going on foot would be too dangerous. Going by carriage meant that their identities would be hidden. Unless of course someone knew their schedule.

Unfortunately, someone did.

On the third day of travel, as Amelia slept soundly with her head on Zelgadis' lap, the carriage began to rock violently back and forth. A horse screeched in terror and pain, and their driver's unconscious body flew unceremoniously by their window.

"Wha..." Amelia looked up, groggily, and Zelgadis wasted no time grabbing her and jumping out of the carriage.

The chimera threw the princess over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and unsheathed his sword with his other hand. Using his inhuman speed, he ran with her as fast as he could, in the direction of Seyruun. If they could just make it, there would be enough white magic and soldiers to protect them.

The enemies gave chase. Zelgadis could hear them with his sensitive ears, but they were quite far behind.

"Zelgadis, put me down! We can fight them!" Amelia was wiggling around and began chanting an Elmekia Lance.

"Stop it, Amelia! Don't bother! You'll just waste your energy and we have no idea what these guys are capable of! I know you remember Zuuma! What if they're like him?!"

Amelia quieted after that.

The truth was, she hated feeling useless. She loved when Zelgadis got protective of her, but she was no damsel. She was so angry that someone had actually come after them that she thought her rage might actually rival that of her best friend, The Enemy of All Who Live.

Grumbling more to herself than to Zelgadis, Amelia lamented, "Sometimes I really wish I'd learned the Dragon Slave."

Giving a lopsided smile, Zelgadis murmured, "Don't even joke about that."

Suddenly, they were cut off at the pass by a group of five large men. Two were obviously sorcerers and three were soldiers.

Zelgadis skidded to a halt and put Amelia down, though he placed himself between her and the assassins.

"Why don't you leave her alone and go after her sister?" Zelgadis said through gritted teeth.

"Don't worry about that," one of the men, a sorcerer, said. "We have people after the sister. She's just harder to find because she doesn't stick around one person or around one place for too long."

There it was. Zelgadis winced as if he'd been struck. Staying with Amelia and getting too complacent had brought this upon her. Just as Gracia had warned it would.

Taking up a defensive stance with his sword out, Zelgadis could only face the music and keep his promise to Amelia's family.

"Too bad for you," he said with a cockiness he didn't really feel, "You'll have to get through me."

"It's five against one. You don't really think you'll win, do you?" One of the assassins said with a smirk.

"Five against two, actually," Amelia said, her voice strong. She stepped out from behind Zelgadis with both fists already enhanced with her Visfrank spell.

"Amelia..." Zelgadis warned.

"I don't want to hear it," Amelia said.

"Aren't they just precious?" One of the soldiers said with a sneer. "Kill them."

At that, everyone attacked at once.

Zelgadis' demon speed allowed him to eviscerate one of the assassins within the first few seconds of the battle.

One down, four to go.

Next to him, he saw a soldier go flying into a tree and not get back up. Amelia must have gotten him right in the face with a magically enhanced fist. The chimera felt a wave of possessive pride. That was his girl, all right.

Two down, three to go.

Zelgadis whirled on one of the sorcerers and screamed "BLAM BLAZER!" The sorcerer dodged the spell and shot a fireball in the chimera's direction, which was also dodged.

It was then that he heard the high pitched and obviously female scream from behind him.

Zelgadis turned and was horrified to see Amelia in a headlock that had her feet several inches off the ground. So distracted was he, in fact, that he paid no attention to the assassin coming up behind him.

That is, until Amelia choked out, "ELMEKIA LANCE!" and the lance of magical energy struck something right over Zelgadis' shoulder.

Three down. Two left.

The newly enraged chimera rushed the assassin who dared put his hands on Amelia, just as Amelia swung a leg back and struck the man right in his sensitive reproductive organs.

Dropping the princess and doubling over in pain, the man didn't even have a chance to look up as Zelgadis skewered him.

Now, the princess and the chimera turned to face the last assassin. The last sorcerer.

"Very impressive," he said, without a hint of sarcasm, though he did give a round of mock applause.

It worried Zelgadis that he and Amelia had just dispatched four highly trained assassins, but this guy didn't even look nervous.

"Even though I was hired to kill you," the sorcerer said, "I'm willing to strike a deal. Obviously you are both powerful magic users, and I'm outnumbered. Give me the location of the other princess, the older sister, and I'll leave right now."

"Even if I knew where my sister was, I certainly wouldn't tell you," Amelia said with a dangerous edge to her voice. "And it seems to me, since we are both very powerful and since this is two against one, you would be best served to leave without making any demands."

The sorcerer shrugged. "You're right, of course. I just thought I would try."

And then he disappeared in an array of swirls and sparkles.

Amelia blinked. "Um...that was a..."

"Mazoku," Zelgadis finished for her, through gritted teeth.

_I have learned my lesson well.  
The truth is out there, I can tell.  
Don't look back and don't succumb to their lies, and goodbyes.  
Live your life without regret.  
Don't be someone who they forget.  
When you're lost reach out for me.  
And you'll see she's not far.  
Northern Star._

They never did make it to Seyruun. Amelia decided it was too dangerous, after all. And so the years of hope she had harbored that it would someday be safe enough for her to return home went down in flames.

"I'm sorry about all this," Zelgadis said as they walked to their next destination. "It's my fault they found us."

"Maybe," Amelia said, unable to lie to him. "But at this point there's no way I'm letting you go. Got it?"

"Got it," Zelgadis said with his lopsided smile.

"Maybe we should travel past where the barrier used to be. Visit Filia-san and hang around there for a bit where fewer people know us." Amelia suggested.

And so they bought there way onto a ship and made their way even farther from the place they considered home.

Zelgadis felt a small pang of sadness at the fact he had not had a home for most of his life, then he finally started considering Seyruun his home and now he could never even go back there.

But he knew it was no where near the pain Amelia must feel.

As they looked out over the swaying ocean, Zelgadis put an arm around the princess' small shoulders and said, "Amelia, no matter what, I never want you to regret staying with me."

Amelia leaned into his thin frame and smiled. "Don't worry, that is one thing you'll never have to worry about."

As the sun set on the horizon, Zelgadis knew he didn't mind running forever, as long as it was forever with the girl in his arms.

_Live your life without regret.  
Don't be someone who they forget.  
When you're lost reach out for me.  
And you'll see, she's not far.  
Northern Star..._


	2. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

**

* * *

  
**

The crown princess of Seyruun, having finally returned after years of absence, stood up among a crowd of onlookers, her shoulders thrown back and her head held high.

"On this day, I proudly take on the duties as Queen of the Holy Kingdom of Seyruun!"

The crowd cheered.

The only people not cheering or waving flags with the royal crest were a couple near the back of the massive group of people who had gathered for the coronation.

The short woman and thin man were clad in clothes that covered them from head to foot. Only two pairs of blue eyes shone from underneath their coverings. If anyone had bothered to look any closer, they would have also noticed that the man's eyes were surrounded by strange markings that resembled stones.

The woman held the hand of a little girl, who was also wearing a hood but nothing over her face.

"Who's that pretty lady, mama?" The little girl questioned. "She has hair like ours."

"That's your aunt," the woman's youthful voice said quietly. "But you mustn't tell anyone. It'll be our special secret."

The little girl nodded. She was used to mama and papa's special secrets.

"Let's go," The man said, turning from the palace of Seyruun and heading for the gates. His wife and daughter followed without a word, though the little girl gave one last look over her shoulder.

"Can we come back again someday?" The little girl asked her father.

His eyes were sad as he stopped and studied his daughter. He longed to be able to share her birthright with her. She was an heir to the Seyruun throne, after all. She had a home, a whole kingdom...

But she also had enemies. And he knew he could never ever allow her to face the kind of dangers Amelia had so long ago.

"I'm afraid not," he finally answered. His daughter said nothing more as they left the city.

"Thank the gods for Gracia," Amelia later commented to Zelgadis after little Melanie was asleep in his arms.

"Yes, it was brave of her to go back," Zelgadis said, quietly. Then he stopped and kissed his wife, their sleeping daughter pressed between them.

"But it's even braver of you to stay away," he said.

THE END


End file.
